Lions, Tigers and Bears..

After a few days of introspection, and some contemplation under last night's lovely full moon I snapped this shot. I'd decided that spending part of Friday evening and keeping lunch plans for today with some of my favourite San Diego people was in order. Just to stop and smell the roses a bit, and enjoy the company of those closest to me in CA really helped re-charge my batteries. I've realized - eeek - on this Labor Day weekend anniversary of my 9th year here, that of the friends I have made while in CA, despite being of all varied ages, each have indeed proven to be the most important relationships I've made since moving from N.J.
I have made wise choices and am glad to have kept these people close at hand.

After Rose soda and La Noia at Bassam's with Helaine last night, it's lunch at Brian's diner with Ted and his lovely girlfriend Shadow today, and later on I'll catch up with my pal Randali in the evening for coffee and a stroll. Some friends that have moved out of State (my dear Katharine, now in the Mountains of TN) and Krista (TX) had a phone call "connection" thing going on with me today too. These two have actually witnessed me covered in mud, pounding the ground and screaming "There is NO GOD!!" in the middle of my Garden in Del Mar once. ( landscrapers defiled it with a blocked irrigation system - one that Kit and I accidentally punctured when removing a hibiscus bush to transport.) Imagine this screaming, amid geysers of mud/flower soup that had erupted everywhere and that's the scene pretty much. It takes real friends to stand beside you during such moments of madness, laugh with you, and make you see you are still loved despite the stormy weather.



I'll be getting back to the artwork on Sunday when my head is a bit more clear. I have had some great sparks and ideas sketched out lately for projects, but the execution of them has been the REAL difficult tiger to tame. I know it's good to walk away sometimes, but I always have a guilt complex with it if I do. It's seems as if should you neglect your art for just one day, it can be such a bitch on the back-swing.T hat's when the creative process may neglect (or evade) you entirely for two or more days. Which means you have to take more time to build up the momentum again. Or it might mean, once you do get back to the table that you will just run crashing out of the gate like a boomerang on return momentum. Hard to say.

Speaking of such things as boomerangs, here comes that damned Mercury retrograde AGAIN. Which explains why I have been so anxious, impatient and pushy the last week with myself and others. Well, at least I am aware of it this time around in 2009, and I'm one ready Gemini/Ram. The 18th could be a rough, but necessary point so I am trying to prepare for that. And by the 29th this should all be headed back to the course of the intended path for me, or at least I'll know I'm on my way. It is in Libra this time around, and also in Virgo. While I do have a Libra/Dragon in the household too, I know it will all still work out just the way it is supposed to. "

"So the stars favour this turn, as indeed do the planets."

Damn..stars igniting indeed. I wasn't joking.


Anyway, I was recalling also this weekend, the very last things I did before I took my cross-country trek out here. One of them was getting a farewell Philly cheese steak at Pat's on the way to the interstate, and another was taking a trip to Inferno for some new earrings and then to Garland of Letters Bookstore on South Street in Philadelphia. This visit was a little bit before my departure day on August 22nd, 2000 and I went to stock up on supplies. Garland of Letters is known for having an awesome selection of books but as well, they always had a varied array of jewelry, incense, oils, and candles too. Believe it or not, I bought so much that day, because I knew if I did and I squirreled them away just-so, they would last.

This has been my favourite bookstore haunt since the early 90's.I cannot tell you how many hours I spent there feeding my brain and my soul. It was a spiritual discovery point for me with an address attached in many ways. I always made it a point to admire the handsome bronze lion at the entrance, give him a pat on his head and stroke his mane. I found a lovely pic of him online the other day, all dressed up to celebrate the onset of Spring. (see below) They always decorate him accordingly throughout the year and it's seasons. I recall when I left, (despite being the public germ freak I am) I kissed the top of his head for luck before my journey out West.



The picture prompted me to dig up last of my stash from the closet and enjoy. Even when I was little, lions always have always been symbolic of safety and strength to me, and a feeling of protection. Maybe it's "A Lion Witch, Wardrobe" related thing, or maybe it's because since I used to carry a stuffed one around as a tyke. I even held a real lion cub when I was eleven and I never forgot the grand memory of that. I can still smile like a child, just to think about it now. Sometimes quite by chance, you find comfort or re-enforcement exactly where, and when you need it most.



There in the box amid all the remaining candles and oils, were an old earthen-ware dragon oil lamp, a bag of incense and other oddly placed goodies: like a box of Cape May diamonds (unpolished), along with the receipt for that shopping trip. And on it I had hastily penned a note to the store's manager in black ink, over the purple printed text: "Faith - please send the following.." I did this per her instructions, so I could just photocopy whatever was purchased that day and send it off to to her attention as needed for my future orders to go out to CA. ( In 2000, they did not have an online store service.) And in the bottom of box also was an AIRS brochure from 1994, with gorgeous product illustrations by ArtistAmber Faith.



Lastly, was this pic of me from October 2000, which was my first Fall out here. So funny, some of my West coast family had never met me before, or else had only known me as a small child. So the first tatse of this meeting, or re-union with me outside of photos was at a Halloween dress-up party. Talk about bizzarre. My Aunt is very a loving old NY gal, and she was very welcoming but I didn't feel terribly 'related' to all the rest of them. My one cousin Stewart said to me: "Hey, this is pretty much normal dress for you isn't it, huh?" - and I cracked up. Hey, he got it, and at least he was kosher about it.


Goodness, where does the time go? No matter, the future is bright and the present is most important for me to focus on currently.

K~

Image for new business cards and web page in progress.

Ok, it was about time to long overdue for an update of the image on my cards. So about a little over 2 and a half weeks ago I took a few self-portrait photos for reference. I usually frown on using exact photo refs for most of my illustrations, but since it is an image of me, on a card designed for me, and shot by me in an attempt to represent my own work, it seems permissible. Or at least I am reasoning it to be excusable enough to allow. Sure, like the new blog avatar I could have gone the partial photoshop filter-route, but I said: "Bah! - Nuts to that." Although I am sure someone I hand my card to in this day and age, will automatically think it is done like that anyway. Le sigh, perhaps we are becoming assimilated in some way and we are pre-borg status. I'm sure a portion of the planet went into shock when gmail was down the better part of the day.No access to email or blogging. Gee, well I figured I was going to be O.K. since I lived through the 70's, 80's and part of the 90's without it just fine.

Anyway, I must admit that the revamp was held back mostly as I was under the influence of my own sense of swoon. After getting a fine compliment from the great Bernie Wrightston at CCI/SDCC (in July 2008) on my Bats n' Blue card, I held back from the annual update design that should have been due out by last Summer. Change is good. Time to get over it now.


First, I made a photographic transfer via a light box sketch and transferred it on to ribbed Canson pastel paper in graphite. Then washed it out with titanium white acrylic paint. Second shot shows where later I used India ink and a new sumie-e brush I got in San Francisco over it all. There's a handful of mixed media goodies that went over the wash. (Sakura ink pen. Sharpie, coloured pencils, graphite, and aqua-monolith colour pigment sticks.)

For this time around I'm considering neutral shades with some spots of colour, over the former bold blue of the old card but nothings finalized yet. Still playing around with colour choices. (there's a sepia toned one on pastel paper floating around here somplace as well.) The urge to use color is always open to debate with me. Often it's mood. I'd say it's mostly a yippie-skippie one due to the new toys I bought last week. These are the CRETACOLOR Aqua MONOLITH pigment color and sticks and I like them quite a bit. They are the ones shown in the black pouch in the picture, and 2 white ones can be seen on the table.




Text from the set:Derived from the Greek “monos” (sole) and “chroma” (color). Meaning painting and drawing with just one color in different shades. The best known artworks of the modern monochrome trend are the ones of Yves Klein (1928 – 1962). That artist called himself “Yves le Monochrome”.

I would say check them out, the price is about $2.50-3.00 per or you can buy sets for a better deal under $20.00
Pros- excellent pigment concentration and smooth flow for shading. Nice range of colour choices. Opaque coverage is possible if needed.
Cons- Round shape means they 'roll-away' and these break like fragile chalk. The dust/residue created shading large areas builds up quick. Thus, it needs to be blown off the page quite frequently.Shapening is needed frequently. (mildly irritating- but plausible.)

I have a few of these self-portraits that I did for my cards, but this one seems best suited so far.Go figure, it was the first out of the gate. Funny how that happens, like instinct sometimes. Also, I was admittedly distracted most of this past weekend. No A/C and the 3 day heat wave in San Diego killed my energy level a bit. Today the temperature let-up a bit, and I made good progress with a few studies.

K~

Found in an old paper journal over the weekend...

I was looking for some archived art , when I spotted this scrawled in a journal from the early to mid 90's.

August 31, 1994

"I was in some town. Occasionally, a red horse would run through but nobody could catch it. I eventually did and I rode it, bareback, out of the town."


Damn, I have absolutley NO recollection of writing this at all, but there it is. In 1994, I lived in NJ at the time, and I liked the town I lived in just fine. I find it significantly haunting to come across it now since this upcoming weekend will mark 9 years in San Diego for me. Since my cross-country move from NJ I've never quite felt well-rooted here. So it is befitting to re-read it now, perhaps out-loud. mit vim and vigor! I've gotta see a man about a horse..or catch one myself apparently.

Go me!

K~

Better late than never - Pt. 1

So today, courtesy of a myspace pal who gave me a heads up, I finally got ahold of one of the many pics taken at Comic Con. Someday, I imagine they will trickle in from different people and random sources. But for now I have just a handful. I think this would be from Saturday July, 25th. (hard to believe that was just over a full month ago!) Simply CLICK on the image to view photo full size.

xoxo,
K~

Enlightenment via Modular Origami..

In my world it makes perfect sense that if you see someone at your local coffee house leaning against a gargoyle statue and holding a spiked origami dodecahedron, of course you should approach such an individual and ask them a mass of questions. So I did. While I was only visually drawn to the piece at first, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by Mark Rowe's handi-work and the conversation as well. Only to be blown-away next by his understanding of the Art of Origami and respect of the form he had chosen to represent.

His vast knowledge of the subject on an artistic level, plus his ability to explain it's numerical relation and connection to physics, the medical, metaphysical, even the relative spiritual symbolism of the pentagon itself - (formed by the points on each side of the piece) was all so very intriguing to me. It was also translated quite well, even to a mere lay person of the subject of Mathematics or Geometry such as myself. Admittedly, in my school girl days I was far too busy with Art, Literature, Music and History studies to ever delve into Mathematics beyond their most basic level required for graduation and college prep. To be fair, in four years of high school Math no one made it sound as interesting as Mark did in 15 minutes or so.

Please do check out the amazing work of Math Tutorist and very talented Origamist Mark Rowe on his Youtube channel. To view and purchase his work you can visit to his online etsy shop.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend.

K~

Lost & Found

I was editing some photos from the L.A. trip and Winchester house, when I randomly came across a folder with a couple cell phone shots from the Casbah. Taken at the stroke of midnight on May 14 going on the 15th of 2007. What an amazing show that was! You know, sometimes I forget just how long I've been listening to them and how much I really dig the Meat Puppets. This find was a nice reminder to throw on a couple of songs and dig-in. Sure, there's a myriad of songs to enjoy from these guys, but I've always loved this one for the upbeat melody and lyrics. (as well as that great little bass riff at the beginning and in the middle.)

A picture of a goddess
Of a planet in the window
Through a tiny hole in the giant curtain
I have watched while it stood undressing
I want more, more eyes
I want to see more lies..

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Click play "∆" on the virtual web cassette above and enjoy,

K~

Smell-O-Vision

My house reeks of turnpenoid™ and oils, and this = excellent.

It's rare I delve into oils these days (acrylic being my preferred medium) but when I do, look out ! It's a very ritualistic and almost perfume-y adventure for me. Scents definitely trigger memories for me. I can recall being like 5, and fascinated by all the little glass bottles and tubes of colour around my Dad's workspace when he painted with his oils. It's the same smell and has that same oily and grungey , almost childlike messiness to me still. I really let myself go with it. And if I get too carried away, it's nothing that a little turpenoid can't wash out. (By the way, an aromatic nip of Makers Mark and the scent of linseed oil really compliment one another nicely.)

Sometimes I just enjoy the smooth and drawn out process of oil painting. Taking my time, then stepping back and looking it over, defining and re-defining, etc. Plus, it's as forgiving as photoshop in the sense that if it's layered in just such a way, you can pretty much scrape or lift-away any mistakes you make with a knife. (perhaps even long after you've made them.) It's all very free-flowing and spontaneous. Knowing any risks and chances can be taken, and errors can be made but all still easily lopped-off the canvas after inspecting the whole piece over time.

Today, I am working on a nude study. Very soft and curvy.

Cheers,

K~